Describe your ideal "day in the life." How would you spend your day? What type of work would you do? What would you eat and who would you be around? What would you wear and where would you go? Most importantly, how would you feel?
It's funny how hard this is to answer. Generally we know what we don't want; I could easily generate a huge list of don't-wants right now. But if we never consider the specific details of what we do want, how will we ever get it? How will we know when we've made it?
I cheated and read back through my Day 15 post, "Gotta testify," before responding to today's question. I don't have one super-specific ideal; I thrive on variety, adventure, learning, and how I respond to it all. I also know that my ideals will change over time, and that's okay, provided I remain in tune with them and adjust my life and priorities accordingly. Here is one potential country-living ideal:
"I wake up to a cool, dry, sunny day around 7:30 AM after a good night's sleep. I dress in exercise clothes and go outside to feed the animals on my small hobby farm: a couple pasture-puff trail horses, a small herd of goats for my cheese-making business, a few chickens, and a motley crew of rescued cats and dogs. I milk the goats and check on my cheese, then head out for a quick half-hour run on my favorite wooded trail behind the house. I shower and prepare eggs from my chickens for breakfast. I'm out the door on time to see my first therapy client at my small group private practice at 10. I specialize in treating depression and grief, supporting people through existential and faith crises. I'm actually considering returning to school to get my M.Div. in order to transition to pastoral counseling work. I see two more clients before taking a lunch and walk break with a few of my coworkers at 1. I'm so lucky to work with people I consider friends as well as good professional colleagues. We discuss an upcoming weekend potluck we're planning; I'm excited to try a new recipe I've been working on, with an eye toward doing some catering on weekends. Ordinarily I have a few more clients in the afternoon, but today I'm running a 90-minute depression group - one of my favorite times of the week. I write my clinical notes for the day and spend a little time editing an assessment report for a feedback session tomorrow, then head out of the office at 5. I do my farm chores, get some things done around the house, and then prepare a nice dinner with my CSA vegetables and homemade cheese. My neighbor, a good friend, comes by with a bottle of wine and we enjoy an hour of conversation on my porch while the sun sets. I work on a knitting project for a while and catch up on a favorite podcast. I'm in bed by 10:30 to read and relax, and asleep by 11."
This is so fun I want to try doing a different one! It's interesting (and heartening) to envision multiple, very different futures, and realize I could be happy in all of them.
"I wake up before my husband and snuggle with him for a bit before going to wake up my 8-year-old son. He has taken a real interest in running lately and has been asking to accompany me on my morning jaunts. We head out for a slow run around our small town in the crisp fall air, stopping periodically to investigate any interesting sights. I love living in the mountains of North Carolina, on the outskirts of Asheville, and my husband and kids do too. When we get home from our run, my husband and 6-year-old daughter have just finished feeding the cats and dog, and preparing our morning oatmeal. My husband heads off on his bike to work, and the kids and I turn our attention to school. We prefer more of an autodidactic "unschooling" approach, but both kids seem to need more structure in math lately, and we've found a textbook they seem to enjoy working through. They begin working math problems while I clean up from breakfast and take a shower. I hear them fighting over the book while I'm finishing up and head out to mediate. My son decides to switch to his robotics studies, which have really interested him lately, while my daughter is on a roll and continues working the math problems. We fix lunch together and go for a walk in the park with a nature manual, identifying plants and trees as we go. When we get home, my husband is back and having his own late lunch - he is able to work from home as needed, which has allowed me to begin seeing therapy clients again after several years as a stay-at-home mom. He steers the kids into their afternoon activities and I remind him that they have swim practice tonight. I head to the office and see three clients, then return home and enjoy some alone time while starting dinner. My family returns from swim practice and we eat together before everyone splits off to work on their evening activities - husband and daughter play some piano together, son works on a craft project, and I answer e-mails and do some crocheting. We pack the kids off to bed, and my husband and I catch up on our favorite TV show before heading to bed for reading and sleep."
It's funny how hard this is to answer. Generally we know what we don't want; I could easily generate a huge list of don't-wants right now. But if we never consider the specific details of what we do want, how will we ever get it? How will we know when we've made it?
I cheated and read back through my Day 15 post, "Gotta testify," before responding to today's question. I don't have one super-specific ideal; I thrive on variety, adventure, learning, and how I respond to it all. I also know that my ideals will change over time, and that's okay, provided I remain in tune with them and adjust my life and priorities accordingly. Here is one potential country-living ideal:
"I wake up to a cool, dry, sunny day around 7:30 AM after a good night's sleep. I dress in exercise clothes and go outside to feed the animals on my small hobby farm: a couple pasture-puff trail horses, a small herd of goats for my cheese-making business, a few chickens, and a motley crew of rescued cats and dogs. I milk the goats and check on my cheese, then head out for a quick half-hour run on my favorite wooded trail behind the house. I shower and prepare eggs from my chickens for breakfast. I'm out the door on time to see my first therapy client at my small group private practice at 10. I specialize in treating depression and grief, supporting people through existential and faith crises. I'm actually considering returning to school to get my M.Div. in order to transition to pastoral counseling work. I see two more clients before taking a lunch and walk break with a few of my coworkers at 1. I'm so lucky to work with people I consider friends as well as good professional colleagues. We discuss an upcoming weekend potluck we're planning; I'm excited to try a new recipe I've been working on, with an eye toward doing some catering on weekends. Ordinarily I have a few more clients in the afternoon, but today I'm running a 90-minute depression group - one of my favorite times of the week. I write my clinical notes for the day and spend a little time editing an assessment report for a feedback session tomorrow, then head out of the office at 5. I do my farm chores, get some things done around the house, and then prepare a nice dinner with my CSA vegetables and homemade cheese. My neighbor, a good friend, comes by with a bottle of wine and we enjoy an hour of conversation on my porch while the sun sets. I work on a knitting project for a while and catch up on a favorite podcast. I'm in bed by 10:30 to read and relax, and asleep by 11."
This is so fun I want to try doing a different one! It's interesting (and heartening) to envision multiple, very different futures, and realize I could be happy in all of them.
"I wake up before my husband and snuggle with him for a bit before going to wake up my 8-year-old son. He has taken a real interest in running lately and has been asking to accompany me on my morning jaunts. We head out for a slow run around our small town in the crisp fall air, stopping periodically to investigate any interesting sights. I love living in the mountains of North Carolina, on the outskirts of Asheville, and my husband and kids do too. When we get home from our run, my husband and 6-year-old daughter have just finished feeding the cats and dog, and preparing our morning oatmeal. My husband heads off on his bike to work, and the kids and I turn our attention to school. We prefer more of an autodidactic "unschooling" approach, but both kids seem to need more structure in math lately, and we've found a textbook they seem to enjoy working through. They begin working math problems while I clean up from breakfast and take a shower. I hear them fighting over the book while I'm finishing up and head out to mediate. My son decides to switch to his robotics studies, which have really interested him lately, while my daughter is on a roll and continues working the math problems. We fix lunch together and go for a walk in the park with a nature manual, identifying plants and trees as we go. When we get home, my husband is back and having his own late lunch - he is able to work from home as needed, which has allowed me to begin seeing therapy clients again after several years as a stay-at-home mom. He steers the kids into their afternoon activities and I remind him that they have swim practice tonight. I head to the office and see three clients, then return home and enjoy some alone time while starting dinner. My family returns from swim practice and we eat together before everyone splits off to work on their evening activities - husband and daughter play some piano together, son works on a craft project, and I answer e-mails and do some crocheting. We pack the kids off to bed, and my husband and I catch up on our favorite TV show before heading to bed for reading and sleep."
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